“My Wilderness experience is that experience…”

Overall, the mountain bike community fared pretty well under the proposed travel plan. Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association’s president John Chandler said the group is in contact with the Forest Service and recently submitted comments, mostly positive, on the travel plan for the Gunnison National Forest. Read More »

“What we’re doing is consistent with the ‘83 plan”

The travel management plan for the Gunnison National Forest won’t get filed away quietly. Nor quickly, as a Record of Decision due at the end of May will be delayed for at least a few more weeks. Read More »

To the Editor:
Thank you all, 129 local individuals and businesses, for the New Crested Butte South Hockey Rink, established 2009! Read More »

Same old game with a few tweaks

Thank God it’s time for softball, far and away one of my personal favorite times of the year for a number of reasons.
First of all, it marks the official start of summer as far as I’m concerned. Read More »

“We have a suite of issues we are concerned about”

Protecting the quality of Colorado surface waters seems like a no brainer. Who doesn’t want clean water, pristine creeks, rivers and lakes? But that’s where the simplicity ends. Applying and revising the rules and regulations that govern water protection are complex endeavors, and stakeholders often have competing or divergent agendas. Read More »

Helicopters flying from sunrise to sunset?

The local environmental organization, High Country Citizens’ Alliance (HCCA), has formally protested the latest plan by the Mt. Emmons Moly Company and U.S. Energy Corp. to conduct studies around the proposed molybdenum mine just west of Crested Butte on Mt. Emmons. Read More »

Mining company asking for series of tests

High Country Citizens’ Alliance (HCCA) is busy reviewing a Plan of Operation (PoO) submitted by U.S. Energy on behalf of the Mt. Emmons Moly Company and Thompson Creek Metals to the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. The PoO is for a series of tests that the mining company wants to start in the summer of 2011. The companies hope to eventually mine molybdenum from Mt. Emmons. Read More »

HCCA disappointed in decision

A national lawsuit and the Obama administration’s reaction to it could have a big ramification locally. Read More »

Public can ask questions at open houses

The Mt. Emmons Moly Company is taking another stab at getting federal approval to do some studies around the proposed molybdenum mine just west of Crested Butte. The company plans to submit a proposal to both the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) by this Friday, April 2 that would eventually allow Mt. Emmons Moly Company to gather some data through soil samples, water monitoring and geotechnical data.
A similar proposal last year resulted in the Forest Service making it clear that such data gathering could involve an extensive Environmental Impact Statement process, but at the very least would entail an Environmental Assessment. Read More »

“An amenity-based economy doesn’t have to be a poor economy”

Call it tourism tied in with a second-home or lifestyle economy. Use the phrase “amenity-based economy.” Everyone understands that people coming to the area to enjoy themselves is an economic driver in Gunnison County, especially in the Upper East River Valley. But now the most extensive study ever done confirms that understanding. Read More »